Sweating Away.

[StuartDykes]

Right, I am about half way through my first website and already I have a legal issue on my hands. I have recently purchased www.weekendgolfer.co.uk. It has free golf tips on it. I have just had an email through from a website with a similar domain, that sells ebooks and has a few other items on it. They have sent me an email basically asking if I have stolen their idea. Please advise on the appropriate next step of action to determine the step I should take.
As a side note, there are other sites out their with a similar name. I, beleive it or not bought this domain on a whim so I havent done any research into other websites, but surely they can not "own" the right to all weekend golfer sites. From the look of their site they are not as big as other sites with a similar name.
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weed news (http://potwire.com)

[Chris]

Ignore it.

Someone on a Saturday Night (Sunday morning?) for you in their underwear rattling off an email about you stealing an idea? Ignore it.

You didn't copy the name, the content. The idea of a golf content site is hardly unique.

I wouldn't reply at all.

[MaxS]

They have sent me an email basically asking if I have stolen their idea.
Laugh and move on.

[StuartDykes]

Is this sort of thing common? Also, I have noticed that at the bottom of most sites there is information about copyright. What is the score with this? Im assuming this doesnt actually mean anything as content and whatever is naturally protected by automatic copyright. Just makes the site look that bit more professional.
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teen vids (http://teenvid.org)

[Chris]

Copyright is for content or coding, it has to be creative and unique. A generic idea doesn't count.

And yes, copyright is automatic.